World Health Organization “ WHO” declared Egypt, as well as three other countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, free of measles and rubella for the period 2018-2021, This is part of the state’s efforts to raise the rates of protecting citizens from infectious diseases, and to achieve the “Egypt Vision 2030”. The move was made during the fourth meeting of the Regional Verification Commission for Measles and Rubella Elimination (‎RVC)‎ from November 1 to 3.
The Health and Population Ministry submitted in June Egypt’s file to the World Health Organization (WHO)’s Regional Verification Commission for Measles and Rubella Elimination (RVC) in order to verify the elimination of the two diseases in the country.
The ministry’s spokesman said that The file included a detailed analysis of the epidemiological situation, disease incidence rates, and surveillance indicators for cases of fever and rash, Hossam Abdel Ghaffar added, It also contained percentages of vaccine coverage nationwide with two doses against measles and rubella.
The commission equally recommended Egypt`s Ministry of Health and Population to maintain the high performance of the National Immunization Programme (NIP), it also recommended bolstering vaccination targeted at people coming from most affected countries, and mandatory vaccination of expat children coming from those countries.
Preparing for this plan, the Minister of Health Khaled Abdel Ghaffar inaugurated in September an automated vaccine storage complex in Giza’s Sixth of October City with a capacity ranging from 100 to 150 million doses per year.
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According to a statement by the Ministry of Health, the complex, which belongs to Egypt’s Holding Company for Biological Products and Vaccines (VACSERA), was constructed in cooperation with the Chinese biopharmaceutical company Sinovac over 3,180 square meters.
dr.Abdel Ghaffar cleared “This is a contribution from the Chinese company in increasing the storage capacities of vaccines in Egypt so that the company (VACSERA) becomes a regional center for the manufacture and storage of vaccines in the African continent”, and The government has outlined a comprehensive plan for developing VACSERA as part of the country’s strategy to make Egypt a regional hub for manufacturing vaccines and meet the African continent’s needs of vaccines.
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Written by shahd hany abd alaziz